Number 3 - the Recyclecaster.

Roland

This week I'm going to bind a body made from a pine plank I found in a skip. Yes, a real skipcaster. Which glue should I use? Some say acetone based, like UHU, because it melts the plastic Some say cyano-acrylic, because it sets quickly. What do the experts on here use?

octatonic

Plastic binding? Use 'plastic weld'- you can get it on Amazon.

Wooden binding? I use either Titebond or hide glue.

WezV

I am in the superglue camp - just what I have always used though

you have to scrape the back of the binding first and wet the ledge to stop the glue soaking in too quick

you can do it with super thin CA by taping it all in place and putting drops of glue on the top edge

you have highlighted the main difference though, with  a plastic melting glue you need to wait a long time for it to harden but with CA you can be scraping it back a short time later.   The other thing to consider is finish, as CA soaked into wood will stop any stains taking.

Roland

I'm intending a translucent stain, to pick out the wood grain, so it sounds as if CA is not the right answer.

WezV

it doesn't rule it out -  I do it quite often with normal CA.  but it does make it harder and i wouldn't add the challenge to your first binding job.  if worried you can stain and seal after routing the channel but before glueing the binding.  I have never done that though

i was teaching someone how to do it recently and they did have a few issues with excess glue, you can see along the bottom edge here.  we managed to sort it later in the finishing process

GuitarMonkey

I use Duco Cement which works really well. You do need to tape the binding in place while it sets.

Sarge

I have only done a few bindings but used a high viscosity ca glue, much easier for me to spread, less runs onto unwanted areas yet still sticks fast.

Roland

This guitar is going to be built from recycled and secondhand items, plus some bits that have been lying around for a while.  Neck and tuners from @JRL, jack socket from @davedave, bridge pickup from @RichardJ, and the neck pickup is one of @TheGuitarWeasel 's rejects.  

The only things I've bought new are the bridge, and some blue wood dye.  I wanted to use ink, but it's coming out too dark for my liking.  Pics will follow when I get to a proper PC.

Next decision: The Pacifica neck I acquired from @JRL has a Strat shaped heel. The body I've cut from a recycled builder's plank is Tele shaped. I can either undercut the neck beneath the 22nd fret to make it more Tele shaped, or enlarge the hole in the body to join the neck pickup cavity. Thoughts?

Roland

For those who like pictures here's the plank as it came from the skip:

and here it is after glueing and routing.  The black electrical tape marks the severe forearm and rib chamfers:

This little knot hole is in the way, so the waist is going to be a little narrower than the template:

The front is going to be dyed transparent blue and oiled to let the grain show through, and edged with white binding to make it look neat and tidy.  Whereas the back and side will just be oiled to look rustic:

and they are substantial knots:

Roland

T3 is making progress. Following the advice from @WezV it was first routed for the binding, and then coloured with a methanol based dye.  This is the mock up which we all like to do:

Then the binding went on with CA glue:

You can see the profiling of the body chamfers.  It was fun routing around the forearm chamfer for the binding, and I ended up using chisels.  I would have liked to double bind, but I couldn't think of a way to route around the rib chamfer, or worse, the cutaway which you can't see under the lower horn.

Tru-oiling is underway, and the blue is becoming lighter and translucent.

Skodadad

Looks spot on, I used to have a double bound Tele and didn't find it anymore cumbersome without the cutaway.

Sarge

Magnificent work, I do love a blue guitar and that binding really sets it off, top work that man!

Deadman

Nice!

jd0272

Outstanding.

Roland

Innovations day. 

The guitar is not going to have a scratchplate, so the pickups will be body mounted. The plan is to put a metal plate at the bottom of each pickup cavity, held with wood screws, and bolt the pickups to these. This gives me the opportunity to play with different metals, and see how they affect the sound of the pickup. First off the bridge's plate will be steel, about 1/8 inch thick, which will really have an impact on the magnetic field. The neck's plate will be brass, because I like the sound of the Californian as it is.  Pics when I've made them.

I like the practicality of the traditional Tele Jack socket, where the concave shape guides the plug into the hole.  However I also like right angled plug because they put less strain on the socket.  Unfortunately they are incompatible - unless I reduce the length of the screw thread by 6mm.  

Did I say that I liked metal work when I was at school?

normula1

A right angled plug will happily fit in an Electrosocket.

Roland

Yes, but only if the thread projects into the bell, which negates the benefit of the the bell directing the plug into the hole. I've cut off the excess thread

Roland

You know those days which "develop your character"?   Yesterday was final assembly day.  I'm used to wiring directly into Gibson sized cavities.  This one's rather narrow and deep.  Using an idea from someone on this forum (sorry, I can't remember who posted the picture) the wiring loom was assembled on a plywood jig, and then transferred to the guitar.

That's when it started to fall apart, literally.  First the Gibson style toggle switch: three of the four brass lugs broke off.  Metal fatigue from being bent to many times  In a fit pique took it apart and soldered thin wires directly to the brass leaves.  Feeling self contratulatory, because I didn't expect that to work, I wired everything up and installed it ... and the tone pot casing fell apart.  Two out of three failure rate.  I guess that's the hazard of recycled components.  So in the spirit of recycling I've Araldited it together.

Heath Robinson.

Roland

Make that all four brass lugs.

Roland

OK.  It's done, and on its stand settling in.  I'm pleased with the body contours, which make it very easy to hold and play.

The sound is very bright and lively,  The tone control isn't giving the range or contour that I want, so capacitors and possibly resistors are going to be played with.  That can all wait until I've tried it out at volume at Monday's rehearsal with these reprobates:

GuyBoden

Nice.........